Friday, April 11, 2014

Slayer (USA) - Hell Awaits (1985)

When it was released in 1985, Slayer's second full album, Hell Awaits,
seemed to many a nearly impenetrable cacophony of sound. However, it
proved to be incredibly ahead of its time instead, and has since been
confirmed as a mandatory item in the band's remarkable discography. Why?
Well, despite its many memorable tunes, the songwriting on Slayer's
1983 debut, Show No Mercy, was firmly entrenched in blues-based
punk/metal, and it wasn't until the following year's more excessive
Haunting the Chapel EP that the band began adding the unusual
arrangements, varying tempos, and dissonant nuances that paved the way
to a wholly distinctive sound all their own. These experiments (rooted
in the at once ingenious and ingenuous innovations of Venom's early
work) were fleshed out even further on Hell Awaits.